1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a cover which provides privacy for use by a nursing mother while breast feeding a baby in a public place.
2. Description of Related Art
There exists many forms of blankets and coverings for a woman's upper torso for use in screening a mother's breast from view when in public. While traditional blankets and diapers have been used for this purpose, a blanket or diaper draped over her shoulder will not enable the mother to view the breast feeding baby and there is no way of securing the blanket or bib to the mother, thus risking the possibility of slipping off and exposing the mother's breasts.
As a result, numerous types of securable privacy coverings have been developed. These privacy coverings have either been securable at the mother's shoulder (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,964,172; 4,989,268; and 5,038,411) or around her neck in the manner of a bib (for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,631,754; 4,716,597; 4,924,528; 4,987,612; 5,034,999; 5,259,068; and 5,479,662). The first type provide only a limited coverage area, posing problems if the child is nursed from both sides due to the need to remove and reposition the shield on the opposite shoulder when switching sides, and their holding mechanisms (e.g. a hook-like component) could be uncomfortable if too small or fall off or slip if too big.
The bib type privacy shields have possessed other deficiencies. For example, if secured around the neck of the mother, a bib type covering has a tendency to drape itself over the child and if large enough to provide adequate coverage of the mother's torso, provides little ventilation to the baby and obstructs the ability of the mother to view the baby. To alleviate this situation, various techniques have been utilized. In the case of U.S. Pat No. 5,479,662, the privacy covering for nursing mothers disclosed therein is fastened to the mother by use of a hook and loop self-adhering detachable closure and a curved flexible flat strip is hemmed into a central portion of the upper edge of a blanket which allows viewing of the child. However, in practice the privacy covering falls against the mother's chest and does not stand out on its own. The strip is too heavy and has inadequate structural strength to allow visibility for the mother without the use of her hand(s) to move the strip and look in.
Also in the case of U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,754, the nursing scarf disclosed herein is tied so as to produce a neck opening substantially larger than the wearer's neck opening and the upper margin of the scarf is pleated, to provide an opening through which the mother may view her nursing baby. Nevertheless, in practice, the pleats have little structural strength and with a opening that is large enough to insure the ability to view the child, it would be difficult to arrange the scarf so as to achieve both sufficient screening of the nursing child relative to onlookers and visibility for the mother.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,597, a nursing garment is disclosed which is in the form of a poncho that is worn by placing it over the head of the mother. In an attempt to enable the mother to be able to view her baby, a rigid hoop is hemmed into the neck opening. However, because the rigid hoop must be large enough to allow the mother's head to pass through it and there is no means to hold it in a horizontal position, it has a tendency to hang against the mother's chest, effectively blocking the visibility of the child. Moreover, such a poncho type garment is large and cumbersome to carry around and creates the problem that the mother's hair has the possibility to become messed-up as a result of putting it on and off, thereby making it use undesirable.